Lock for gear-shift levers



A. C. CURHAN. Loox Fon GEAR smrr LfvEas.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. IU. |919.

Patented Nov. 4, 1919.

20 w. w m H Wl TNESSES A TTOIM'EYS ARTHUR C. CBBAN, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

LOCK FOR GEAR-SHIFT' LEVERS.

Speclcstion at Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 4, 1919.

Application lcd Horch 10, 1919. Serial No. 281,677.

To all lwhom, it may oom-cm Beit known that I, ARTHUR C. CUnnaN, a p

citizen of the United States, and n resident of the city of New York, horouvh of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and tnte of New, York, have invented a new and Improved Lock for Geur-Shift Levers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact desemptxon.

The resent invention relates to new and useful improvements in gear shiftin mechanisms. and .rtnins more parisien arly to means for loc in the same. n The primary o ject of the invention is to provide means whereby the operating memher of n motor vehicle transmision may be etlectively locked against operation by unauthorized persons. f a

A further object of the invention is to so constnlct a device of this character .that it is applicable to the ordinary tnmsmission,

shifting device nt present in use. with very slight changes in" the construction thereof;v

With the. above and other vobjects in view which will np .nr as the nature of the inventionis un erstood. refereliccis had to the accompanying' drawings in which--v Fignrel is a longitudinal sectional view of a. geur shift lever and its mounting inft le transmission casing; y

Fig. 2 is n. transverse sectional view on the line '2--2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is n detnil view of u nlodiiicntion. Referring more particularly to the drawings, the reference character 1'0 designates a, transmission housing. and 1 1 designates a. vertical ly extending tapered portion thereof. The vertically extending t-npered portion 11 is provided, near its upper cud. with nn in.; terna] nnnulnr Hzlnge 12, which supports a circular injuring: nunnbcr 13. Mounted on the circular benring mclnher 13. is a gear shift, lever 14, which comprises n tubular sertion l5 and n solid sert-ion I6, said solid section 16 h eing provided intermediate of its ends. with :in enlarged spherical portion 17. The lower portion of this spherical member 1i' is :ulupted to engage the hearing uli-inher- 13. h'I-nintniniug snid spherical member i7 in engagement .with the hearing member I3. is a hearing' uwuilier IR. 'lhese hearing melhheis lil :Ind IH muy lie secured in the upper vuil ol the tapering portion ll in any lesivi-1| lu'nulnr.

The upper und of tin' tuluilnr sot-tion l5 is provided with internal screw threads 19T and having threaded engagement therewith is an operating knob or bundle 20. This operniing knoh or handle. 20 is cut out, as nt 21, for the lrception 'of a keyactuated lock :22, und projecting downwardly from the lock 22, there is a squared shaft `23, the' purpose of which will he hereinafter described.

The lower portion of the solid section 16 is cut out-` ns nt 24, and plvotnlly secured in the opposite. side walls of said cut-out por-V tion 24, ns by means of pins or stub shafts 25. ure two oppositely' disposed swinging arms 26. The outer end of ench of these arms 26' is enlarged.,` as at 2, for a purto be hereinafter described, und the inner ends of said nrms nre eut ont, ns at 2S, in order that they may receive the chon- 'nel 29 of n huh member 30. This head lueurher.30 is seemed h v meansof a. key 31, to

through a passage 33, in the solid section 16,

and upwardly through the tubular section 15. Secured to the upper end of the shaft 3 2, as by means of n key 34, is n Sleeve 35, the upper end 5f which is squared and adapted to receive the sqmwd Shaft 23 :9i

the lock 22, ns shown in Fig. 1.

The sleeve. 35 hns n screw-threaded ex-` terior und is adapted to he engaged with a scewthrcnd 36 in' the operating knob or handle 20. The lower extremity 37 of the Solid member 13.is adapted-to he engaged with the. connuon `form, of gen1- shift-ing mechanism 3S. which, however. forms no part of the present invention und is therefore not shown.

vThe operation of the device is us follows:

lVhen it is desired to lorkthe gem' shift lever 14 against. movement and in the neutral position which is shown in Fig. 1, the kev 40 is inserted in the lot-k -22. nud said kev is turned. This turning of the ktv rotates the squared shaft Q3 :ind in turn the screw. threaded sleeve 35. Upon rotation oi the sleeve 35. the suine will he moved longitudinully of the operating knoll or handle 20, thus uioving the shaft 3Q longitudinally of the-lever 14. This movement. of the shaft 32 throws the pivoted levers '26 from the dotted-line position shown in Fig. l, to the full-line position shown in Fig. 1. in which.

hitter posit ion they engage the inner face of the portion ll of the transmission housing.

'ith the paris in the above outlined positions, it will be seen that the lever 14 is secu-ed against lateral movement, and, therefore, its lower extremit 37 cannot be moved into engagement Witt either of the gelir shiftin mechanisms 38.

When it is desired tol use the gear shlft lever 14. the key 40 is again inserted and turned to rotate the squared shaft 23 in the opposite direction to that above described. This movement of the shaft 23 retracts the shaft 32, thus swinging the pivoted levers 26 to the dotted-line position in Fig. 1. The enlar d portion 274 of the levers 26 gives adder weight thereto on their extreme outer ends and aids in the lowering of the said levers to the .dotted-line position as shown.

In some formsofngcar shift levers; the upper lirtion of leverfis o'setwith relation to ther enhlgredmqrtion Vlgthereof, and in thittlype'- leverglarslraft 32,"such as shown in connected together-...by means; i.janversal joints or=thelikeitlsfl'hesejimiversaL-joints 41 permit lof a movementjof'theshnftl iglf is emplo'yeilsaid .shaft being in tivo 'or moresectignsmhichfare,

mounted in said housing:A and having n oat.- out portion in its lower end. n pair of radlally swinging levers pivotally secured hr said cnt-out portion and adapted for movement into engagement-.Wdh said laat-slain and means movable longitudinally of sind lever for operating said swinging levers.

4. A device of the chnluftel' described comprising combination with a transmission housing, a gear shift lever pivotally mounted in sind housing nml havingl a cutont portionv in its lower end, n lurality of swinging arms pivotally carried hy the lower end of said lever and adapted for movement into e ent with the inner face of said transmission housing, n shaft movable longitudinally of the ar shift lever for open ati said-'swin g members, and menne carried*by :the fgrgle-endof said geur shift lever jfor. operating said shaft.

`5. A device of the character described comprisingfin `combination with a transmis sion'honsinlg'afgeurehift lever mounted for 'universal;movementinA siidhousing, a. lufrtllityoffwlinging arms ivotally carri by 4enidg'earshift lever an adapted for movelongitudinnll'y of they lever 14g-ment intoengagement. with a portion'of the when the Yupperffmrtion?thereof is ollset 'elatively to the pivotal onntingof said ever. A In viomftneffqre vragt-.n wiubenjpu. ent thntymheresenti-faltnvention provides means by wlnc t'the-niiiinthonzed tampermet *l ing wamnsmmnhiaw which an a. 85

vice may be appliednisprev'ented.

While I haveA-'iahovcnthenpreferi-ed `:from of the resent invention,V it is ,to be understood t et snchchangesmndmodifications as may fall withm'the scope ofthe appended claims mayV lwithout departing `from the spirit of; the Mention.

Having thus descrihedtthe invention, what is claimed as newnistn'x. g i

1. A device of .the character described comprising in combination with a gear shift lever and its'sapport. means carried by said lever and pivotally secured thereto for engngf-.nent withsaid 'su port, and means movable longitudinally` o the lever for operating said summit-engaging, means. r

2. A dev ice of the character described comprising in combination nith'agear shift means for causing engagement of the free ends .of said pivoted members with said housing to prevent lateral movement of the lever. i

7. A device of the character described comprising in combination with a suitable. sup rt, an operatinglever pivotcd intor met inte ofA its ends to said support. iu-ans carried by said lever intermediaieof one of its ends and its pivotal point for engagement with the snp Jort to prevent movement of said inver. and means for moving said summitengaging means into and out of operative position: 8. A device of theV character dvsrrilwfl comprising in combination with a gear shift lever and its support, means carried by Said lever between' one of its ends and its pivotal point for engagement with said support to prevent movement of the lever, und means .for 4moving,r said support-engaging means Into and out of engagement with said snp- IOl't- ARTHUR C. CURRAN. 

